


Mask of Evil and Shadows

by TheDemonOfSloth



Series: ShuAke Confidant Week 2k18 [1]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, ShuAke Confidant Week, Teen Romance, akechi is fucking gaga over akira, also he's horny as hell, and he and akira were childhood friends, it doesnt really matter he's still fucked in the head either way, no beta we die like men, please accept my first contribution to the fandom, the description says it all, the metaverse exists so there's that, there's some nice fluff scattered here and there, well not really since this au is really different from canon, what if akechi kills shido before all the freaky shit happens in canon, what if akechi was shido's legitimate child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-08-14 07:14:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16488131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDemonOfSloth/pseuds/TheDemonOfSloth
Summary: If there is one good thing about being a four year old boy that plays with his action figures all day, it's that no one can notice the sudden change of behaviour from one second to the next. No one, not even your own father knows that while you gaze at him with large, innocent eyes, that you have plans to exterminate him.Goro has been fantasizing of the many ways to kill him, every night it seems.ShuAke Confidant Week Day 3: Neglect | Rejection |Death





	Mask of Evil and Shadows

**Author's Note:**

> henlo please pardon me this is my first time posting something on ao3 i dont know wtf is going on, also its 2am rn and i have a 9am class

If there is one good thing about being a four year old boy that plays with his action figures all day, it's that no one can notice the sudden change of behaviour from one second to the next. No one, not even your own father knows that while you gaze at him with large, innocent eyes, that you have plans to exterminate him.

  
Goro Shido has been fantasizing of the many ways to kill him, every night it seems.

 

* * *

 

No matter what, he could never figure out how many rooms there were in the mansion.

  
The hill behind the mansion is like a large forest, and in the garden there is a large pond filled with carp. The forest is wild and unattended, akin to a stone wall that separates the estate from the outside world. Usually carp live to a ripe age, but for some reason on the estate they never last long.

  
Apart from the young servant girls, there is the head maid, Hikara, a middle aged woman whose eyebrows were eternally furrowed. At first Goro thought that she is his mother, but she tells him that his real mother had died years ago. He doesn't know her name or how she looks like; Hikara never answers his questions regarding his mother.    
  
He has a friend, a boy his age. Akira Kurusu, a cheeky and playful classmate that he met in the local elementary school they attend. Normally he would expect to be enrolled in a private school like other wealthy kids, but his father would have none of that. You need to interact with people from all forms of society, he explains to him (most of his schooling is covered by three tutors. There’s only one tutor that he remotely cares about, the one that would occasionally give him candy as a reward for answering difficult questions). But as a boy that lives in an obscenely large house that's no good at anything but studying, he could not fit in with his classmates. While he does make an effort to hide his depression with a tilt of his head accompanying a coy smile, he finds himself unable to make friends.  
  
No one except Akira pays him any attention. The fool waves his stubby hands at his direction and pats the empty seat next to him during recess one day, and that's how they click off.  The boy might have felt sorry for him at first and probably initiated a friendship out of pity, but he finds himself unable to care. There's one person that's willing to play with him and that's all that matters.  
  
Goro invites him to his estate from time to time. Akira's parents don't mind (they don't really care). He brings his pathetic collection of Featherman action figures—he only has the red and green one and they were both bought from the dollar store—to play with him. Goro would bring out his more expensive action figures and he would share them with his friend, making up all sorts of scenarios and wave around their toys while making their own customised sound effects. When they get bored of playing, they would swipe snacks from the kitchen and eat them in his room. Raised to clean up after himself, Akira would clean up the crumbs of their snacks with the small broom and dustpan Goro kept in his room. I'm not a slob, he would say whenever Goro tells Akira to leave the cleaning to him. The estate driver would drive him home when night fell, and Akira would wave at him through the tinted window of the car, even well after it drives out of the gate.

 

* * *

 

The room to which Goro is called to is large, with a huge flat screen television, a long table and a deep red carpet. Here is where his father dines alone, insisting that his son eat his meals with the servants.  
  
There is no answer to his knock, so he opens the door as quietly as he can. Mr Shido is seated on one of the six dining chairs, his face blank and his current mood unreadable. This time too he smells of alcohol, and it occurs to Goro that he usually doesn't drink that much.  
  
"Now, I'm going to tell you something important, so you better listen up.  
  
"About your education. Not that I hold any high hopes of you. Tell me, have you heard of the nursery rhyme of Mary had a Little Lamb?"  
  
Which child hasn't. In school, the teachers would gather everyone to the centre of the classroom and sing the lyrics out of tune along with the children who also sang equally shrill and out of tune while holding hands (Akira would hold his hand since no one else dared to hold his, and he'd sing while swinging their linked arms left and right).

  
  
_Mary had a little lamb_  
_Little lamb, little lamb_  
_And everywhere that Mary went_ _  
The lamb was sure to go_

  
  
"Don't you find it interesting that no matter how strong an individual thinks they are, in the end they all fall to mob mentality during times of crisis?"  
  
The news is showing a report on a school shooting in a remote area in Japan that he knew nothing about. The news anchor is reading out the number of deaths.  
  
"You should remember this. People are sheep. They are fragile during stressful events, so if one person has even a semblance of leadership, they'll listen. Even when they aren't thrust into a dangerous situation, they are lost without guidance. A society cannot function without some form of authority or other controlling systems. This is why anarchies don't last long."  
  
He is not wrong. There is one time where he and a group of students got separated during a field trip. Being the only one in the group that dared to ask for help from the strangers in the area, the others followed him around like lost puppies and held onto his every word, despite being the same children that threw erasers at him during class.  
  
"Just like sheep, they are easy to manipulate. Hold something in front of them and they'll follow. Knowing how to read people and using the right words helped me climb up the political ladder. Even if it means trampling over others and tarnishing their lives in the process. If I were considerate I wouldn't end up where I am today. It's a dog eat dog world out there, so don't expect to go far when you're concerned about hurting other people's feelings." He is still gazing at the screen with his back facing the boy.  
  
"With our current leaders, Japan's social state is in a sorry state. It is utterly weak and corrupt on the world stage, and I will not allow this to continue. However, I have come to light with cognitive psience and the possible existence of an alternate reality.  This is a sign that I have been chosen by God to cleanse this rotten country. With my hand on the steering wheel I shall lead this country to greatness, and I'll crush anyone that stands in my way, even if it's you."  
  
He turns to Goro and gestures slightly with his fingers. He doesn't understand what he means, and the man points at his stickers.  
  
"Put those in the ashtray. Don't bring things like that into my room."  
  
Goro's legs is shaky and his heart is racing. He gingerly steps forward and places the bundle into the ashtray as instructed, and his father places his half-smoked cigarette on top of it. He doesn't snub it out, just rests it there, still smoldering. The surface of the paper scorches and catches fire. While it burns, he wonders whether he burned them because he thinks they are of value to the boy, or because the cheap sparkly material offends him.  
  
Despite what he thinks, those stickers were never important to him anyway, even if they were a gift from Akira. He just carries it around to look childish. Besides, he could always ask for another pack of stickers from him and he wouldn't mind in the slightest.  
  
"You're probably wondering why I'm telling you all this. One is that I'm exceedingly drunk. Two, you won't remember that this conversation ever took place. It'll all be hazy and mismatched, just like a dream. Now get out my sight."  
  
Obediently Goro left the room. His father is wrong, oh so terribly wrong. He has no control over his life as much as he thinks he does, and straight after that he thought of Akira.

 

* * *

 

His earliest memory is of his father. He is running across the hallways with one of the servant girls chasing him. The entire time he feels like he is walking on air, despite being on the verge of toppling over.  Perhaps it's because he doesn't have full control of his legs as he'd just learnt to walk, or his line of sight got higher.  
  
He runs and runs and runs, away from the giggling girl who raises her arms out, ready to grab him the moment he slows down. He runs and runs until he runs into something akin to a stone pillar. Looking up, he sees the disgruntled face of his father. Without the slightest change of expression on his stony face, he sweeps the two year old Goro aside with his foot, as if it were a nuisance to even kick him.

 

* * *

 

After finishing elementary school, he and Akira enroll in the local middle school. Once again they are in the same class; he wonders if his father is behind this.  
  
By the time the school year starts, Akira is only slightly taller than he is. Akira is still studious and scores better than average, but never being able to beat Goro who ranks first in every single test and examination. He no longer stands out as much as he had when he was younger, becoming more reserved and only speaking whenever necessary. That didn't mean that he stopped making friends, having a sizeable number of acquaintances and good friends to talk to and share notes with. As always, schoolwork was the only good thing Goro was good at, so he wraps himself in jokes and frivolity. He learns to laugh at his peer's jokes and muck around with the kids sitting near him during classes, and the teacher had to tell him off on many an occasion.  
  
Goro doesn't remember the exact moment when he fell for him (perhaps it might have been when Akira got himself a pair of fake glasses to appear more unassuming). Every day his thoughts were filled with Akira, and their future. Marrying him, finding a job, he doesn't care what. If he wants to work he could, and if he wants to stay and home it was all right too. If they ever adopted children, he would want to give them what had been missing in his life. He would work hard and buy a nice house, preferably one with a seaside view. They'd go for walks on the beach, hand in hand as the children run ahead of them, kicking up sand and leaving footprints behind them, only for it to be lapped up by the waves before receding towards the sea. When they quarrel he would be the first to apologize, even if Akira were in the wrong he'd keep his mouth shut. Maybe he'd be the one to apologize. For him to marry Akira, however, he has to be good enough for him. He starts to take great pains in maintaining his neat appearance and coming up with stories to make him laugh. The darkness that brew in him that he stows away deep in his heart, which remains hidden by his depression, burst forth directly, obsessively, towards Akira.

Almost every night, he fantasizes about sleeping with him. If they were able to do it for real, he’d probably die of happiness right on the spot. To be able to see his body, to touch him all over, entering him. It would be a miracle, and it never occurred to him how adults obsess over sex until now.

Akira joins the volleyball club, so they leave school at different times, but he visits his estate more frequently than he did during elementary school.  His entire happiness is right in front of him, yet he still couldn’t touch it. While it is trying, it is enough for a middle school boy like him. His thoughts are solely on Akira, to the almost exclusion of everything else.

 

* * *

 

“It must be nice being rich.” Akira says as they walk down the school hallway. It was one of those days that their timetables clashed, so they accompany each other on the walk to Goro’s home. Sometimes he forgets that Akira doesn’t live with him.

“No it’s not.”

“It must be. You can afford to buy anything you want. You have the entire Featherman collection while I only have knockoffs from the dollar store.”

He laughs, flashing a hint of white teeth. His laugh was akin to the tinkle of bells.

“Even so, it’s not like I earned it. It’s not impressive, not at all.”

It’s really not, when all the money is earned through shady and dishonest means, through the shattered hopes and dreams of others.

The raven looks pensive. He had to continue talking so he wouldn’t think he is being perverse.

“If I can really do something with myself and contribute to society, then that’s what I call impressive.”

“You’re so righteous, it makes me gag.” Akira says, though his sentence holds no vile intent.

 

* * *

 

On a Friday afternoon, Akira corners him after math class.

“You’re always staring at Ms Kazue. You like her, don’t you?”

Ms Kazue is their homeroom teacher. She always wears tight fitting clothes, so all (even that is debatable) the boys like her. Some of them even call her degrading names behind her back.

“No, I don’t stare. And I don’t like her. Why do you ask?”

“Kaori is upset. She thinks she can’t compete with Ms Kazue, and I heard her throw a fit in the bathroom.”

Akira looks at him with his usual blank stare.

“What are you on about?”

“I’m saying that she might have a crush on you. I’ve seen the way she looks at you. Maybe you should consider going out with her…?” He shrugs his shoulders.

Kaori is one of the quieter girls at their school who’s always writing. Once she drops her pencil case while it was still open, and Goro helps her pick up her stationary.

“No, I won’t.” He says firmly.

“Why? Do you like someone else?”

Akira continues to stare at him with unblinking eyes. His face, bathed in orange sunlight, is lovely. Yet he finds himself unable to face him properly.

“Because  I-uhh… no…”

Goro is in a turmoil. He remembers the TV dramas the girls in school usually watch, where couples break up over misunderstandings that could’ve been resolved if it weren’t for ineffective communication. He _hates_ those.

“I can’t go out with her because I like you.”

God, he’s so awkward. Akira is taken aback, including Goro as well for his straightforwardness, but he can’t take back his words.

“You don’t have to go out with me or anything. We can always wait till we’re older. So until then I hope that we can continue exactly the way we are.”

“Continue _exactly_ the way we are? That’s impossible, you’re so brave.”

Akira sighs admirably. He says that if he truly likes him, he should kiss him. Goro is hesitant at first, but he can’t say no. This is what he wants after all.

They walk to a bench at the back of the school. After patiently waiting for a pair of students writing notes to leave, they kiss a little. It’s awkward, just like how first kisses usually are. Goro’s inexperienced hands rests at the small of his back, while Akira digs his fingers in his hair. Goro walks him out to the school gates before entering the car.

From a distance, it looks like a happy scene. And many years after, he looks back to the memory and thinks that maybe they were truly happy back then.

* * *

 

Many events transpire after that, far far away from them. A terrorist attack on a corporate bank in Shinjuku, and the employees of a fast food chain went on strike. But it didn’t matter to the two teenagers who pass the time in their own little world.

Many a night, Akira would stay over (as usual his parents couldn't care less, just as long as he returns in one piece). They turn on some music so the servants wouldn’t wonder why they are so quiet, and then they kiss. They spend hours in each other’s arms, tongues locking together in battles for dominance, touching each other while fully clothed. Goro thinks they are too young to be doing such things, but to hell what other people think.

Before long they manage to find the courage to undress. Naked under the bedsheets, they explore and map out each other’s bodies with their hands and tongues, full of curiosity and desire. They never go all the way since the reality of sex is overwhelming, but it’s enough for them. Smothering their cries with pillows, they come in each other’s hands. Akira would say that he feels good while gazing at him with glassy eyes and flushed cheeks. It drives Goro over the edge.

Akira tells him that they should have sex the following year. But to Goro, it didn’t matter whether or not they actually do it. With him by his side, he is happy enough.

 

* * *

 

Their nightly escapades comes to an abrupt halt. Akira stops accepting his invitations, always coming up with an excuse not to go. They are believable at first; after all he needs his space. However the excuse after next becomes even more bizarre and outlandish. When he runs out of excuses to use, he resorts to avoiding him.

Goro manages to corner him after his volleyball training session, demanding answers. Perhaps he may have come across as too harsh, because Akira starts to tremble. Dumbfounded, he has no idea what to do. Goro backs away a few steps and apologises over and over before hurriedly leaving the locker room, wondering what he has done wrong to scare Akira that badly. When he finally gets into his bed, he lays reviewing the past few nights for any faults in his behaviour, growing frustrated when he is unable to uncover anything unusual. The last night they had together had been the same as always, with Akira embracing him saying that he never wants to let him go, so why the sudden change? Whatever the reason, he has to know.

After an hour of tossing and turning in bed, he concludes that he can’t get any rest. So he takes a stroll around the mansion. The night is tranquil, with crickets chirping and leaves rustling in the wind. He wishes that Akira were here, holding his hand appreciating each other’s presence. He walks through the hall and back, careful not to wake the servants. For some reason he pauses outside his father’s room. He hears sounds coming from inside. Heart pounding, he quietly opens the door.

He wants to scream, but no sound came from his throat. The yellow light from the desk lamp shines on Akira’s stark naked body, while his revolting father sits on the bed, fully clothed. He beckons him to come closer and he does so, face averted. He grabs a bottle of whiskey and orders the boy to look at him, and he does so with a shudder.

Goro couldn’t move. He stands there, gaping at the horrific scene with his mouth open. He feels lightheaded and his knees go weak. But he has to overcome this terror and kill his father. He doesn’t know how, but he has to. With a sudden surge of hatred, he opens the door. Or he thinks he did. In reality, he continues to stand at the exact same spot, unable to tear his eyes away from the scenario unfolding in front of him, unable to do anything to stop it.

His father tells Akira that it is only for tonight, and he starts getting dressed. Goro comes to his senses and flees. He intends to run back to the safety of his room, but he manages to pluck his courage and wait for Akira instead. When they are away from earshot of his father, he approaches the raven.

“I saw.”

Akira stays still, not bothering to turn around and face him.

“What’s going on? Please tell me.”

It’s as if he were talking to himself.

“Father… he…”

Akira begins to weep. “I… don’t know, I don’t know…”

Goro leads him to his room where he wraps Akira with his blanket. His body looks tiny.

“He calls you into his room and makes you strip?”

“Mm.”

“What else?”

“I don’t know…” Akira starts sobbing violently. “I was doing my homework at home, when… when a few men dressed in black came to escort me here.” He takes a few deep breaths. “I thought… I thought you called for me, and I sensed it might be something important, s-so I followed them. I didn’t know, I didn’t know, I didn’t…”

Goro found himself having difficulty breathing.

“For now it’s just taking my clothes off. Who knows what he’ll do next. God, the way he looks at me… it's so ugly. I want to rip his face off.”

Akira curls himself into a ball and continues to cry. “I’m scared. I don’t know what to do. I can’t tell my parents, they don’t care. He said… he said…”

“Said what?”

“He said that he’ll show you hell on your fourteen birthday. And I will play an important part.”

His fourteenth birthday. Five months from now.

His father is planning to do something, and dreadfully they both know what. He is old, and he might hire someone. Maybe even a whole bunch of people, and he’s going to make his son watch it.

No, he absolutely cannot let it happen.

 

Goro looks at Akira directly at his eyes. “I won’t let that happen. Even if it means that I have to kill him.”

 

* * *

 

To murder someone is painfully easy. But the real challenge is: how to do it without getting caught?

 

As a child, Goro has always contemplated about murdering his father--he has fantasies about it for ages--but those thoughts are childish at best. Even though he is still thirteen, he has to come up with a detailed, viable plan.

His father has connections with the authorities; the police are wrapped around his fingers and the crimes he commits are hushed and never disclosed publicly. If he approaches them and tells them that his father is going to show him hell, they would take him into custody as a mentally disturbed minor. He could take a video of his scandalous act as evidence, and in the best case scenario Akira would be taken into custody. Perhaps he could be out of his father’s reach, and he might give up. Perhaps, but the likelihood of his plan succeeding was slim. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility that he might pull off an ingenious plan to get Akira (basically abduct him). For him it isn’t just to drag his son to hell, since he has already started to develop an obsession over Akira himself. His allowance is meager, far smaller than one might expect from a family like his. If they run, his father can easily track down two penniless teenagers.

As long as he is alive, they are both never out of danger, not unless he disappears off the face of the Earth.

Another plan is to poison him. It is hard to get ahold of poisons, but among the mushrooms that grew on the hills near the estate is a deadly variety called the East Asian death cap (he’s done his research). It will be tricky getting him to eat them since his father hates mushrooms. Even if he somehow adds them in his drink to make it look like suicide, there is no guarantee that the dose is lethal. If he receives immediate treatment, he will most likely survive. Even if he manages to succumb to food poisoning, his cause of death via poisoning would be reported, and the police would narrow down the suspects to the people in the household.

There is a hunting rifle in his room. Shooting him is quick and efficient, but he knows that he would be caught right away. He thinks of framing it as suicide by shooting him at an odd angle, making it seem like he shot himself on purpose, or maybe he can claim that he himself shot his father on accident while he was teaching him how to use the rifle. Nobody else except Akira knew of his murderous intent, so nobody would suspect him. Even if they did find him suspicious, he is only thirteen, they would just send him to a juvenile centre. In the eyes of the law a minor cannot commit a crime, and the very fact gives him courage. If he is unable find another suitable method, he’ll settle for the rifle.  

Perhaps instead of killing him, he will leave him to die. Lock him up in the basement to starve to death and throw in the death caps for good measure. It’s the safest plan, but there were no basements in the estate that he knows of that are abandoned and unattended. How is he supposed to lure him to the basement when he has no business there in the first place? He could shove him in and quickly lock the door… no, that wouldn’t work.

All hope seems lost to the thirteen year old until the app appeared.

 

* * *

 

Goro is a quick learner. In the span of a month, he learns about the cognitive world, personas and the strange long nosed man that sits behind his desk with a wide grin.

He finally has a way to eliminate his father from his life. Their lives.

Is it always wrong to kill someone? Is it a crime to kill the person that causes you harm and the people closest to you? Weren’t they forced to break the rules to free themselves from the madman that he calls father? Society will say no. He is not the law; he has no say in how his father will be judged. Non-personnel cannot take the law into their own hands hands, much less a thirteen year old. His father should go through the system like every other criminal does, perhaps he will be reformed and change for the better. Maybe Goro himself is the evil one. This is what society will say.

To hell with society.

The most valuable thing in his life is not virtue or society, but Akira. He doesn’t care if it’s wrong to protect the one he loves more than the entire world. He’d scorch the earth, leaving trails of fire and destruction behind him if it meant keeping Akira safe.

The strange man chuckles, drumming his fingers on the mahogany desk.

 

* * *

 

“Fallen for him, haven’t you? That boy…”

His father’s voice is slurred. The room reeks of alcohol, to the point where Goro would gag.

“That’s not why I’m here. I just wish for a raise in my allowance.”

The old man scoffs. “Obviously you have, how trife. That doesn’t really matter. In two weeks time we’re going to my villa in Shizuoka to celebrate your fourteenth birthday. You, me and your dear friend of yours. His parents were more than happy to grant him permission to join us. Aren’t you excited?”

Without waiting for an answer, he gestures for him to leave. His head is in a whirl. For now, Akira is safe for two weeks. But time is running out. He has to continue infiltrating his palace, continue breaking down the security systems to reach his father’s shadow in the main assembly hall. The sooner he can get it over with the better.

Ever since, Goro begins visiting Akira at his house instead. His parents don’t really mind. That evening, Goro waits patiently for him to come home from volleyball practice. As soon as he sees him he begins to tear up. He asks for a kiss and the raven gives him one.  

 

* * *

 

Standing in front of the oversized podium, he feels his insides churning violently. He is conscious of the weapon he carries in his hands, and the knowledge that if he fails here there would be no future for him or Akira. If he hesitates for a second, it might cost him his life. He will die here, but what will happen to Akira? Would his father continue on with his plans either way, knowing (or not knowing) that his son is dead? The thought almost makes him vomit.

His not-father glares at him from the podium, his expression blank. “So this is how it is.” He says softly.

A sharp pang of pain stabs his heart.

“How did a lowlife like you obtain such power…? Not that it matters. If you have a complaint, I’m willing to listen.”

He grins, parodying a caring politician.

“You really are my son. You’ve got what it takes to be a monster, because you can think of something like this. You aren’t a passive sheep like the populace. You’re willing to kill your own father.”

The boy is still unable to move. Loki whispers something in his ears, but he can’t make out what.

“Do you really think that everything will be okay after you’re done with me? That all this will lead to a ‘happily ever after’? I said I was going to show you hell, but this is the same anyway. Because you’re going to murder me, another human being.”

“No, you’re wrong.” Goro wonders when he got back his voice. “It’s not murder, I’m just…”

His not-father ignores him as though he is not worth listening to, and continues talking.

“Killing a person is crossing a critical line in this world. All creatures are hardwired not to kill each other; their instincts prevent them from doing so. Cannibalism only occurs extremely rarely under extreme, unusual circumstances. This has been the case since time immemorial. Killing someone by overcoming this instinct is defying the very code embedded in your DNA, of course the person who commits murder will start to fall apart. On an intellectual level, the guilt over killing another human is due to the stress of hiding the secret from the world, but as living creatures it’s simply the outward manifestation of the perversion of killing your own.

“You think that the weight of your actions will fade as time passes, but you’re so terribly mistaken. The guilt will always be there, and will be for the rest of your life. After spilling your first blood, you will never accept any warmth or beauty with a pure heart. Whenever something good happens, you’ll be confronted with the fact that you are a killer. When you feel joy in your life, you will also feel pain from knowing that you stole someone else’s. Especially a weak willed one such as yourself will not be able to take it. Whenever you feel happy, I’ll appear in your dreams as a reminder that you do not deserve such happiness. The image of me bleeding to death as you stab me in the chest with your weapon will always be there, at the back of your mind, coming forth to the surface to torment you. You’ll become warped, just like me.” 

Somehow Goro feels that he is four years old again in his father’s study, holding a bundle of cheap stickers in his hand.

“But if I don’t, Akira…”

The shadow places both hands on the stand.

“That’s right. I will defile him in front of you. If you do not kill me I will absolutely do it. Even if you run to the police, nothing will change. You can’t stop me; I can’t even stop myself. I yearn for the sight of the boy being completely corrupted, while you watch in unrivaled horror.”

His blood runs cold, and he feels bile rising up his throat. He shakes his head.

“I’m not killing you,” he shouts, but his voice feels like a whisper. “I’m just protecting myself and Akira.”

His not-father dismisses him with a wave of his left hand. “I will allow you to choose between life or death one last time. Give in to my social reform and I’ll leave you and your boyfriend alone. I’ll even give you a sizable amount of my wealth for the two of you to live comfortably for the rest of your lives.”

“At the cost of Akira’s dignity? Go to hell!” Goro screams, and he feels Loki quivering with delight.

For a moment, none of them said a word. His not-father shakes his head slowly, clicking his tongue in disapproval. “It seems that you leave me with no choice but to eliminate you. A small leak will sink a great ship. Many great nations of the past has fallen to such lenience.” He grips his right fist tightly. “I will not make such incautious mistakes!”

The thunderous roar of clapping fills his ears, and the world shakes.

 

* * *

 

“What happened to you?”

“What?”

“You’re as pale as a sheet.”

He hadn’t realised how erratic his pulse is or how hard he is breathing. Akira grips his shoulders firmly but gently.

“And you’re sweating buckets. What’s wrong?”

Wrong? There is nothing wrong, not anymore. His father's shadow is dead, killed by his very blade and his palace reduced to nothing but shambles before being wiped out of existence. He will drop dead anytime soon.

“There's nothing to worry about. I got carried away, that's all.”

Akira raises an eyebrow. It takes time for him to process what he just said, and his eyes widen a little. “Goro, did you…”

“No.” His arms are still numb.

“But…”

“We’ve sorted things out. I talked to him, it looks like he bought himself a prostitute. He’s not going to bother you anymore.”

Goro is determined to not let him know the truth. Whether Akira believes him or not, he doesn’t say. He moves closer to him and asks for a kiss. He obliges. Under the warm light of Akira’s bedside lamp, he holds the raven close, sinking his fingers into his curls. He doesn’t remember when he pushes Akira down on the bed, or when they get undressed. His body is seized by a fierce desire, having eyes for no one but Akira.

Their first time is awkward, just like how first times should be. Akira tenses for a moment before opening his legs. He is tight and it’s sore for the both of them. Goro comes too quickly in the unfamiliar warmth, but then he enters him a second time. As they continue to make love, it gets slightly better for them. Akira wraps his legs awkwardly around Goro’s waist, kissing him over and over, telling him between pants and gasps that he’s glad that his father wouldn’t be bothering them anymore. He’s glad that he’s dead and gone and won’t ever come between them and how he stabs him again and again and ag ain and again and sta bs  stabs stabs stabs sTABS till there’s blood everywhere and blood and blood and blood and bl ood blood bloo d blood everywhereeeeeeeeee         and its on his clothes and its dirty and disgusting and he’s  dead dead d ead and dead an d he had it comin g he had it coming he had it coming he had it comingggGgg  ehehehe heehh heh   he had it coming he had it comin  g he had i t coming he    had it coming h

e had it coming he had it coming he had it c oming he had  it c oming he had it coming he had

**Author's Note:**

> edit 11/2: made some changes cause i fucked up somewhere
> 
> okay honestly i haven't written anything decent in years that isn't a school essay, and even then my recent stuff is still hot garbage. 
> 
> the idea of 'what if akechi was shido's LEGITIMATE child' au has been dancing around in my head for a while. sprinkle in some Shuake and boom this hot mess.
> 
> also im looking for p5 mutuals to scream about shuake and pegoryu with. feel free to drop something on my hot mess of a [tumblr](https://thedemonofsloth.tumblr.com/) or [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/thedemonofsloth/)


End file.
